sometimes we celebrate the silence
by The People Speak
Summary: Sometimes silence is more romantic that a raging beach party. / jasiper / highschool au / for nerdzewordart on tumblr / Feast of Fortuna 2017


_For those who are and have been teenagers and for those who are surviving._

* * *

Annabeth shut the door more aggressively than she needed to, and Piper laughed. "That bad?"

The blonde slouched in the seat, scowling. "You have no idea."

Piper turned the key in the ignition and her car rumbled to life. She gave Annabeth a pointed look and her friend fastened her seatbelt reluctantly. Piper turned her eyes to the road and waited for Annabeth to start talking. This was usually how their conversations went when one of them was frustrated and it worked.

"He's being obstinate," she complained. "It's such a simple fix, so why won't he listen to me?"

"Annie," Piper drawled as she turned the corner onto Annabeth's street. "You realise that you're fighting with your boyfriend over something small right? You guys have been dating for three years and this is what you choose to fight over?"

"It's important!" Annabeth insisted. The blonde removed her sunglasses, dropped them into the cupholder of the car, and ran a hand through her blonde curls.

Piper slowed to a stop at a red light, easing off the gas, and raised an eyebrow at her best friend. "Annabeth, I love you, but you're fighting over a goddamn tie."

Annabeth turned her head away insistently. "We should match. Plus, his mum agrees with me and it's her wedding."

"I mean, I agree with you too, but ultimately Percy is the one who will be wearing the tie. Do you really think his mum is going to care if he's wearing a tie? She's got tons of other things to worry about," Piper pointed out.

Annabeth sighed. "You're right."

"As always," Piper interjected.

"And," Annabeth continued, casting Piper a firm look, "we'll be fine at the party tonight."

"Good. Tonight is about fun, so you'd better be ready."

Piper turned into Annabeth's driveway and put her car in park. Annabeth leant over and hugged her and Piper returned the embrace as best she could. Annabeth hopped out of the car and ran across the manicured lawn to the front door of the typical suburban home. Piper watched to make sure her friend got inside alright before she slid the gear shift into reverse and headed to her own home.

She turned up the radio and began humming along to the catchy pop song on the radio. Normally pop music wasn't her thing, but the start of summer was a special occasion. It called for stupid summer anthems and drinking at the beach with friends. One didn't come without the other, so Piper embraced the terrible music taste of the radio DJ with open arms.

Driving from Annabeth's house, so close to the school, to her own was not a short trip, but she did it every day. It wasn't like she was paying for the gas to her car herself, and every minute she spent with her extremely busy friend was worth it. Besides, it wasn't like there was anything she could do at her own house without drowning in the endless hallways and empty rooms.

She drove through the edges of the town, spying some classmates milling around in the streets. Everyone was looking in good spirits and a few waved to Piper as she drove by. She cruised past rows of identical suburban houses and then through the rougher neighbourhood with the more interesting homes. She spent a good amount of time in this area too, thanks to Leo, but she still wasn't home.

As the houses became sparser, and the lots larger, Piper finally spied her house. She rolled up to the edge of her driveway and watched as the gate slid away, granting her access. Piper parked her car in her spot in the garage and jumped out. She grabbed her bag from the front seat on the way and entered the house.

The closing door echoed through the home and Piper knew that it meant her dad wasn't home. He wouldn't be home until later, and she would be lucky if he was home before she went out. Still, she knew things were better than they could have been. At least these days, she saw him nearly every day.

Piper dumped her bag by the door and headed straight for the kitchen. She poured herself a glass of water and wandered towards the window, the ice cubes clinking against the glass. It was nearing four o'clock and the sun was still fairly high in the sky.

Her phone buzzed in her pocket and Piper fished it out. She had a new message from Percy. She smiled subconsciously at the picture of Leo and Jason set as her home screen as she swiped to read the message.

 _Order pizza yet?_

Piper rolled her eyes. Of course, Percy was worried about the pizza. _I'll do it now_ , she replied. Piper opened the app for the pizza place and created a new order. She bought six and set the delivery address for Percy's house at 8 PM.

She glanced at her watch again and saw it had inched only marginally closer to 4 PM. Piper took another glance out at the blue skies streaked with small, white clouds. It was a beautiful day and there was no one saying she couldn't go down sooner than the others.

 _Hitting the surf in 15_. She fired the text to both Percy and Annabeth so they wouldn't be wondering where she was.

Piper headed up to her room, ignored the growing pile of clothes on her desk chair, and headed right for her closet. She picked out her bathing suit and a pair of ratty shorts. She pulled on one of Jason's shirts that she'd stolen and repurposed by cutting the arms off and cropping it, and grabbed a flannel to finish her look.

She slid down the bannister to the main floor and hummed as she walked back into the kitchen, leaving a note for her dad reminding him that she was sleeping over at Percy's. Piper headed back into the garage, locking the door to the house behind her, and opened the back of her car.

She loaded a cooler into the back, as well as another case of beer and a carton of hard liquor. Since Piper's half-sister was of age, it was easy for her to get a run when she needed it, and an end of the year beach party was a perfectly acceptable reason for Silena to buy for her.

Piper threw in a case of coke for those who wouldn't be drinking, and the bundle of firewood she had picked up the week before. Satisfied she had everything, Piper got into her car and headed out.

* * *

She reached Percy's place in ten minutes and parked in the shade of the tree out front. She left most of the stuff in her car, bringing only her bag out, as she walked around the side of Percy's house and headed down towards the beach. She kicked off her shoes as soon as she was on the soft sand, relishing in the way that the warm sand slid familiarly through her toes.

She grabbed her board from the rack near the dock and dumped her bag. She shed her shorts and top before pushing out into the water. The sunlight glinted off the waves and the familiar sea breeze made her grin.

School had been making it hard to find time to really hit the waves, but it was summer now. She and Percy had already made a pact to surf as much as possible together before he left for New York, and to try and teach Annabeth and Jason the basics. Still, there were few things Piper loved more than late afternoon rides with the promise of a great evening ahead.

She paddled out and sat up on her board, watching the water intently. Gentle waves bobbed her up and down, but she didn't see one she wanted to ride just yet. There was a boat further out that she could see, and she watched as it rose and fell due to the perfect wave.

She swam out to meet it before turning and riding it in. Just as it began to crest, she pushed up, planting her feet firmly, and she rode. Piper was perfectly balanced and perfectly at ease as she carved through the water, spraying herself in the face with cool droplets.

The wave broke and she wiped out, submerging completely, but she broke the surface easily, a grin spreading across her face.

She had missed this.

* * *

At close to 6:45, Piper was lying on the beach on her board, eyes closed while she soaked up some sun. She had nearly fallen asleep when someone plopped into the sand next to her. She opened one eye and to see who had disturbed her.

Percy Jackson cracked a sly grin and Piper smirked at him in reply.

"Ties, huh?" she teased.

Percy rolled his eyes. "Wow, so she told you."

"She tells me everything," Piper reminded.

"Very true." He rolled his shoulders forward and squinted towards the horizon and the slowly setting sun. "How were the waves today?"

"Good until the boats started going by," she replied. "When's Annabeth coming?"

"Now," Annabeth's voice cut in. Piper lolled her head back and spotted Annabeth standing close by, a blanket bundled under one arm.

Percy grinned upon seeing his girlfriend and he jumped up. He jogged over to her and pulled her into a kiss which Annabeth happily recuperated. Annabeth's blanket dropped to the sand as she slid her arms around Percy's neck and Piper rolled her eyes. Her friends were notorious for their PDA, even when they'd only been apart for a couple of hours.

"Hey, guys!" Piper called after they showed no signs of acknowledging her presence.

Annabeth broke the kiss and laughed at Piper's expression. "Like you wouldn't do the same with Jason if he was here."

Piper shrugged. "He's not."

Percy picked up Annabeth's blanket it draped it over his shoulder. "Anyways," he cut in, "the party starts at 7:30 and we should be good till around 11 when it gets too dark or cold."

Annabeth stepped next to Piper, draping an arm over her shoulders. "It's weird, isn't it? The last party of senior year?"

"Only because you guys are leaving me," Piper reminded.

"We'll be with you in spirit," Percy teased. "Now, where's that firewood? We should start setting up."

* * *

When the pizza arrived, the party was in full swing. Around thirty to forty people from the senior class were on the beach. Music was blaring from a boombox that Travis Stoll, the self-proclaimed DJ, had brought and the bonfire was crackling merrily.

The alcohol had been cracked into, but only just enough so that everyone was having a good time. Piper herself was nursing her first beer and hanging out near the fire. Her eyes were locked onto the dancing, orange flames and a small smile curled up the edges of her lips.

Suddenly, someone practically jumped onto her back and she stumbled forwards, almost falling. Piper spun and glared at her assailant, seeing Leo standing behind her with a cheeky grin on his face. He was holding a cup in one hand and his phone in the other.

"That was rude," Piper told him.

Leo laughed. "Come on, it was funny."

"You would have owed me a drink if I spilt this," Piper informed him, raising her drink in his direction.

"Gladly," Leo replied cheerfully.

Piper finally dropped her act and smiled at her best friend. "So, how's your night been?"

Leo shrugged. "Pretty good. I came with Calypso, but she wanted to dance, and my feet are not made for dancing."

Piper turned and looked towards where most of the dancing was taking place. It was the area closest to the speaker. Drew Tanaka and her friends were in the middle, but there were others, including Leo's mostly-girlfriend Calypso, having a good time too.

"You didn't go with her?"

"Like I said," Leo replied, "I'm not a dancer."

"Whatever you say," Piper teased. "Come get some pizza with me."

Leo linked arms with her and they walked up towards the top of the beach where someone had put out a table with the pizza displayed across it. Piper grabbed a piece of cheese and a piece of vegetarian and Leo took three pieces of pepperoni. Piper rolled her eyes. His stomach was a well-catalogued characteristic of his.

Leo stuck his tongue out at her and pulled her towards the water again. They found a spot in the sand where they could sit and just barely have their toes get wet. Piper watched as a group of people splashed around in the waves and she recognised Percy and Annabeth amongst them.

"You ready for them to leave?" Leo asked, following her gaze to Percy and Annabeth.

Piper smiled softly and took a bite of her pizza. "I'm not ready for anyone to leave."

"Just you and I left here," Leo mused. "The terrible two."

"You're the terrible one," she taunted.

Leo shoved her shoulder and she grinned, biting into her pizza again.

The sun was almost dipping below the waves now, and it spread a warm glow over the water and the teens spread across the beach. Piper leant back in the soft sand, letting her hands support her weight as she stared out across the beach. It was finally really starting to feel like summer.

Leo's phone buzzed and she watched as he opened the message and practically jumped to his feet. "Someone has sparklers!" he exclaimed excitedly. "I'll go grab us a couple."

"Want me to come?" Piper offered.

"Nah," he replied. "You seem comfortable."

Piper raised an eyebrow. "If you're sure."

Leo saluted her and jogged across the beach towards the fire. Piper turned back to the ocean and she watched Hazel, a friend in sophomore year who was dating the senior Frank Zhang, splash Annabeth before hiding quickly behind her boyfriend. Percy then grabbed Annabeth around the waist and basically dove under the water, drenching them both. Piper bit down a laugh.

The familiar sizzling noise of a sparkler caught her attention and she turned towards the sound, expecting to see Leo with one in each hand. Instead, she was met with a very different, but no less welcome, sight.

Jason Grace was holding two sparklers in one hand and smiling at her affectionately. He was wearing board shorts and a white t-shirt with the University of San Francisco logo on the front. Piper blinked at him in surprise and she imagined that she looked like a deer in headlights.

She placed her drink on the ground and stood up. "You're here! You said you weren't going to be back in time!"

Jason shrugged. "There was a change of plans, and we got back earlier than expected."

Piper lunged forwards and threw her arms around him, hugging him tightly. He smelled like fresh air and other nice things, as always. His free arm wrapped around her in return and it found a place on her waist as she pulled back from the hug. She was smiling wildly and Jason laughed at her. Piper stepped on his toes and pushed herself upwards, brushing their lips together briefly.

"You could have texted me," she said as she pulled away.

Jason nodded. "I could have." He passed her one of the sparklers and Piper took it, grinning. "I wanted to surprise you," he explained.

Piper twirled her sparkler near his face, leaving little streaks of light. "Well, I'm definitely surprised. And I'm guessing Leo was in on this, since he left to bring me one of these, and you were the one who showed up."

"I may have texted him," Jason mused, twirling his own sparkler.

Piper laughed and laced the fingers of their free hands together, pulling him with her as she ran towards the water. The seawater was cold as it lapped at their ankles, but Piper splashed Jason anyways and he splashed her back.

Soon they were both wet and laughing and their sparklers were extinguished. Jason took the dead sticks and tucked them into a free pocket before rejoining their hands. Most people were moving out of the water as the first remnants of the stars began to appear on the eastern horizon.

Several people had left, including most of the more drunk people, but someone had turned the music from the speaker down really low and people were gathering around the fire. Jason led Piper over and they found some seats on a log next to Will Solace and Nico di Angelo.

Will had a guitar in his lap and he smiled at Piper as they sat. "In the mood to sing?" he asked.

She shrugged. "Why not?"

Will strummed a few chords and Piper hummed along, catching onto the song easily. She started singing the first verse, and around the fire, people joined in. By the time they reached the chorus, almost the whole group was singing.

Jason's arm wrapped around Piper's waist and he smiled at her. He wasn't singing, but Piper wasn't going to fight him over it since they'd long established Jason did not have the voice for singing like she did. It was a joke shared between them with love.

Will started into another song and people sang along again. Eventually, the guitar chords faded into the background as people talked about things and made toasts, raising glasses full of water, coke, or slightly more risky substances. Piper had abandoned her beer, donating it to Leo, and Jason was only drinking water.

Piper leant into Jason's side and he pressed a light kiss to the side of her head. She tangled their hands again and ran the pads of her free digits over their interconnected knuckles, humming under her breath.

By now, the numbers had dwindled and there was only a core group of kids left. It was nearly 10:30, and the fire was just starting to burn through the last set of logs.

The party would be wrapping up very soon, but with her boyfriend at her side and her friends around her, Piper wasn't sure she wanted to head home, or to bed, just yet. She squeezed Jason's hand and he looked down at her.

"I have my car if you wanna go somewhere."

"Where?" he asked curiously.

Piper smiled. "Honestly, let's just go somewhere."

Jason's lips twitched. "Sounds like a plan."

They excused themselves from the circle, bidding everyone a goodnight, and headed off the beach towards where Piper was parked. She tossed Jason the keys when they reached her car. Despite not even finishing one drink, Piper wasn't going to risk driving.

She pulled up the address for a park on the north side of town and began directing Jason there. When they arrived, Jason parked near a lookout and Piper jumped out of the car, wandering towards it. It looked out over the city and Piper could just barely make out the smudge of orange that was the dying fire from the party on the beach.

Jason walked over, holding a blanket that had been in the backseat of her car. They spread the blanket and lay down together, staring up at the sky and the stars that were peeking through the indigo-violet sky. Piper curled into Jason and his arm easily wound around her waist in return.

"I love summer," she said quietly.

"I know you do," Jason agreed.

"I'm just not sure if I'm ready for everyone to leave," she murmured.

"I'm not sure any of us are ready to leave either," he admitted. "Besides, I'm going to San Francisco. It's not that far. It's Percy and Annabeth who are both going to New York."

"I hope they stay together."

"They've been good to each other for a long time," Jason said, tightening his grip around her a little.

Piper's eyes found the beginnings of a constellation. "So have we," she added.

"I'm glad."

They lay in comfortable silence for a moment. "I love you," Piper said softly.

"I love you too," Jason replied. His voice was low and gentle and Piper pressed a kiss to his cheek.

"Even though you're going away, we'll be okay, won't we?" she asked tentatively.

"Of course," Jason assured. "In fact, I actually have something for you."

Piper sat up and Jason copied her. She stared at him as he pulled a small box out of his pocket. Her eyes locked onto it and she nearly forgot to breathe.

"I don't really want to see my life without you. We're so young right now, but this feels so right. So," he trailed off, opening the box, "I'm hoping this will help us stay connected even when I'm away."

Piper gently reached out to touch the circular locket. It was gold and smaller than a penny, but it was embellished simply and beautifully. She flicked the tiny clasp and revealed their picture from prom. She smiled and ran a nail along the glass pane.

"It's beautiful, Jason, thank you."

"You're probably going to say I didn't have to, but I wanted to."

Piper laughed. "Right, because the movie star's daughter needs more things that are gold."

Jason kissed her then, and Piper didn't think much past it as she wound her arms around his neck. The kiss was lazy and slow, but romantic and full of emotion. They broke apart when Piper ran out of air and she pressed another, feather-light kiss to the edge of Jason's lips.

"This is the start of a perfect summer," she whispered so only he could hear her.

After that, it was quiet, but that was alright because despite how much she enjoyed people, there was something truly romantic and fulfilling about a little silence every now and then.

* * *

 **Author's Note:** This was my gift for nerdzewordart on Tumblr for the Feast of Fortuna 2017. Happy summer everyone!


End file.
